"Creativity is intelligence having fun."
— Albert Einstein
Creativity is the quality involved in idea generation, the processing of that stream of ideas, and the cultivation of experiences to feed new ideas.
Activities
- Keep an idea bucket
An idea bucket is a place to capture all of my ideas. This is a directory of markdown files, each containing a single idea. This has the benefit of capturing the ideas so they're not lost, while also keeping myself from jumping onto ideas too soon and derailing my existing project.
- Research real cultures & historical periods
The real world is an excellent source of inspiration for fiction, providing real examples of places and peoples that evolved throughout the course of history. By studying these, I can find interesting ideas that ground my fiction in reality and make it both more relatable and more believable.
- Engage with other art forms
Engaging with other art forms - particularly visual art and music - is a great way to spark creative ideas. The degree to which I experience life directly influences the quality of my creative output.
- Travel
Similar to engaging with other art forms, traveling is a great way to experience new things and keep myself from falling into a creative desert. This doesn't have to be international travel - even exploring a new city or neighborhood can provide new experiences and inspiration.
- Play with constraints
Constraints force one think creatively to operate within their boundaries. For example, a story about a party of clerics from different faiths can produce something both original and interesting for readers.
- Read outside your genre
Reading outside of my genre is a great way to expose myself to new ideas and ways of thinking. It helps me avoid genre cliches, find new ways to approach familiar tropes, and even combine other genres in innovative ways into my writing.
- Keep a dream journal
Dreams are a window into the subconscious mind and a great source of creative ideas. By keeping a dream journal, I can capture these ideas and use them to add depth and originality to my work.
- Practice free writing
Free writing is a technique where I write continuously for a set period of time without stopping to worry about grammar, spelling, or punctuation. This also allows me to bypass my inner critic and tap into my subconscious mind more readily.